Mohali: South African side Dolphins overcame a top-order collapse to put up a fighting 164 for seven against Perth Scorchers in an Oppo Champions League T20 group league match here today.
Khaya Zondo anchored the Dolphins innings with a well-crafted unbeaten 63 off 50 balls which consisted of seven boundaries while Keshav Maharaj (29) was the second highest scorer.
The Dolphins lifted their game during the final quarter of their innings as they hammered 67 runs in the last six overs after being reduced to 97 for six at the end of the 14th over.
It was Robbie Frylinck, who hit two huge sixes off Pakistani paceman Yasir Arafat, to take Dolphins' score past 160-run mark.
However, it was 24-year-old Natal batsman Zondo, who came in at No 5 and batted till the end. He was especially severe on Jason Behrendorff (3/46) as four of his seven boundaries came off the left-arm seamer's bowling. Zondo also used his feet well against veteran chinaman bowler Bradd Hogg as he danced down the track to help himself to a couple of boundaries.
With skipper Morne van Wyk (4), Cameron Delport (8) and Cody Chetty (0) back in the dressing room with scoreboard reading 12, Zondo in company of Maharaj, stemmed the rot adding 32 runs for the fourth wicket.
Glovesman Daryn Smit (21) also added valuable 30 runs with Zondo, who held one end up initially.
However it was the final flourish that made the total look respectable.
